& 



THE 'battle ground.' 85 



say. "Elevate her; she'll ground," one 

 would suggest. " She'll overshoot, now," re- 

 joined another. At last, after raising and 

 lowering the six-pounder several times, during 

 which process the Lidians had time to retreat 

 beyond reach of shot, the match was final- 

 applied, and — ^bang! went the gun, but 

 the charge grounded mid- way. This was 

 followed by two or three shots with sii 

 ball, but apparently without effect ; although 

 there were some with sharp eyes, who fan- 

 cied they saw Lidians or horses wounded at 

 e\eTY fire. We came ofi" equally unscathed 

 from the conflict^ barruig a horse of but fittle 

 value, which ran away, and was taken by the 

 enemy. The Indians were about a hundred 

 in number, and supposed to be Comanches, 

 though they might have been a band of war- 

 riors belonging to the party we had just left 

 behind. 



The no\dces were not a little discoiuaged 

 at these frequent inroads of the enemy, al- 

 though it is very seldom that any fives are 

 lost in encounters with them. In the course 

 of twenty years since the commencement of 

 this trade, I do not befieve there have been a 

 dozen deaths upon the Santa Fe route, even 

 including those who have been killed off by 

 disease, as well as by the Indians. 



On the foUo^ving day we encamped near 

 the ' Battle Ground,' famous for a skirmish 

 which a caravan of traders, in company with 

 a detachment of Mexican troops, under me 

 command of CoL Vizcafra, had in 1829 with 



